Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Autonomous vehicles use various computing systems to aid in the transport of passengers from one location to another. Some autonomous vehicles may require an initial input or continuous input from an operator, such as a pilot, driver, or passenger. Other autonomous systems, for example autopilot systems, may be used when the system has been engaged, which permits the operator to switch from a manual mode (where the operator exercises a high degree of control over the movement of the vehicle) to an autonomous mode (where the vehicle essentially drives itself) to modes that lie somewhere in between.
Such vehicles are typically equipped with various types of sensors in order to detect objects in the surroundings. For example, an autonomous vehicle may include lasers, sonar, radar, cameras, and other devices which scan and record data from surroundings of the vehicle. Sensor data from one or more of these devices may be used to detect objects and their respective characteristics (position, shape, heading, speed, etc.). This detection and identification is useful for the safe operation of an autonomous vehicle.